The Flightless Fox
by AutoKnight01
Summary: Sequel to A Spy's Day Off: Tails accidentally got both of his legs broken during a freak accident while working on his plane. He's confined to a wheelchair for five months and Cream is going to take care of him the entire time. What could happen?
1. Wheels

**Me: Hey everyone! I'd like to introduce you all to my newest project. And truth be told. I've been putting this one off for quite some time now.**

**Tails: It's about time you got around to it! It's only been MONTHS!**

**Cream: You should be more responsible Mr. AK.**

**Me: You guys are just saying that because this it Taiream.**

**Tails and Cream: Maybe.**

**Shadow: So you're finally giving them the spotlight. I can't wait to see this disaster.**

**Me: Hey hey hey. Who says it's gonna be a wreck?**

**Shadow: I do.**

**Me: Well whatever. Let's just get to it.**

**Alright everyone. Just to give you a heads up like the description probably did. This is NOT a sequel to Together Forever. It is in fact the sequel to my second most popular story. A Spy's Day Off. If you hadn't read it, go and read it. Then you'll understand. But let's get this rolling. I only own the plot of this story and none of the characters. And I've been promising this one for a long time. Enjoy!**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 1: Wheels**

Not a lot of people get to say something good came out of getting both of your legs broken. But in this case, someone DID get to say that. And that someone was our furry friend, Miles Prower. AKA: Tails. See, it was only yesterday when he got his legs broken. He was working on his bi-plane the Tornado. But one of the wings ended up coming loose and it fell down smashing both of his legs. He was rushed to the hospital and the doctor told him he was going to have to stay in a wheelchair while his legs healed up. And for him, not being able to fly every day was his worst nightmare.

But a small light of hope shone for him. That light was in the form of his cute friend, Cream the Rabbit. She and him made a deal. Every day while he's confined to the chair, she would come over to his house and spend time with him. And for Tails, that was the best thing that could ever happen to him. He had a secret crush on Cream and now she was going to be at his house every day. It was a dream come true.

But she wasn't going to come over there just to spend time with him. While he remained in this chair, there were things he could no longer do on his own anymore. The doctors strictly told him he couldn't fly or his legs wouldn't align right. So now he couldn't do anything normally. Like reach high shelves, or get into bed on his own. Or got to the bathroom….That was gonna be something Tails was going to HAVE to figure out to do on his own. There was no way he was letting Cream watch him go to the bathroom. He was only eight. And she was only six. Chances are therapy would come with that kind of experience.

But either way, Tails was just happy he was going to have some company in this depressing time. His other friends had other things going on. Sonic was always traveling. Amy was always chasing him. Knuckles and Rouge recently became an item after Rouge got sick and Knuckles took care of her. Chances are Silver and Blaze might pop by every once in a while. And as for Shadow, he and Tikal had other things going on.

Thanks goodness for Cream and her pure heart. She always was a sweetheart. And now Tails was going to be able to see her for five straight months. Oh what heaven. What delight for the young one. He was only eight. So not a lot of older girls found him very attractive. He always thought it was because of his twin tail deformity. But it just turned out they weren't in to dating kids.

So once again, thank goodness for Cream. She was a friend of Tails AND she was in his age group. And she was a very polite girl. And this deal would probably somehow benefit her too.

Now today, it was the day Tails came home from the hospital. And it was weird having to travel inside of a car. The last time he even set foot in a car was…never. He had never ridden inside of a car before. He flew his plane everywhere. And when he didn't he flew by himself without a plane. So being in a car was a brand new experience for him. But he wasn't enjoying it because of the new experience feeling.

He was riding in Miss Vanilla's car. And Cream was in the backseat with him. She actually had a frown on her face as she looked at Tails' legs. They were completely wrapped up in two separate casts. And Cream and Cheese, along with Vanilla, had already signed their names on them.

"Do they hurt?" Cream asked quietly.

Tails put on a smile for her.

"Not really." He replied. "The doctors gave me some pills to take in case they do start giving me trouble."

"You be sure to be careful with those medications, Tails." Vanilla warned. "If you take too many at one time, you might only make it worse."

"I promise, Miss Vanilla." Tails responded.

"Don't worry, mother. I'll make sure he keeps true to his pills when I start taking care of him." Cream sounded excited when she said that.

And that made Tails' heart jump for joy even more. Who would've guessed the young geek with two tails would be such good friends with a great girl like Cream?

"This is very thoughtful what you're doing, Cream." Vanilla said. "But what are you and Tails going to do when it comes time to eat? Is there any food at your house, Tails?"

The kitsune went a bit silent. And Vanilla was able to read the answer on his face as, "no."

"It's been a while since I stocked up on food. I've been putting all my money into my plane." Tails explained. "But I do have a lot left. Maybe we could stop by the store and get some."

Vanilla agreed to that idea. Tails was severely low on groceries and he needed to stock up desperately. He had the money with him so he could pay for it. They stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the hospital and got pretty much the bare essentials when it came to food. They didn't get a lot of junk food though. Vanilla was always against the stuff and she was the closest thing to a mother Tails really had. And she didn't want her daughter going over there every day to just to pig out.

In total, the price for all the food was a couple hundred bucks. And Tails was more than expecting that. He had the money ready and handed it to Vanilla so she could give it to the clerk. He was down in a chair so him doing it was out of the question. Afterwards, they loaded the bags up in her car, and headed for Tails' house.

Once there, they unloaded the stuff and placed it all in his kitchen all he could do was watch them. This was just a preview to what was in for during the next five months. Him doing nothing at all. And it made him feel horrible to know he couldn't help out in any way. But he had to get used to it. Not standing up was going to have to become a temporary lifestyle.

When everything was loaded up, Vanilla and Cream started to leave along with Cheese. But Tails didn't want them to.

"Wait." He called. "Where are you going?"

Cream looked back at him to answer.

"I'll be right back, Tails." She assured him. "I just have to go to my house and get some things to bring back here."

That brought great relief to the handicapped fox.

"We'll be back soon, Tails." Cream headed for the door.

"Chao chao!" Cheese said goodbye too and followed Cream out.

Okay. So he was going to be alone for a few minutes. He could handle that. His six year old crush just had to bring some stuff over. But what stuff was she talking about? What was not here that needed to be brought over from her place? Well he was gonna find out when she returned.

Five months to go. But the question was, would they both make it through that long?

**XXX**

**Me: And we are about to find out the answer to that question. In my newest story.**

**Knuckles: Since it's the sequel to A Spy's Day Off, think you could jam some Knouge in here?**

**Me: I can't promise anything. But I will try to put some other hints of other couples. Just a heads up for others. Well…don't forget to review. Until chapter 2, peace bitches.**


	2. Day One

**Me: Well hey everyone! Let's get chapter 2 a rollin!**

**Tails: Well a lot of people seemed to like the first one. I'm surprised.**

**Me: You and me both. I thought this would be less popular for whatever reason. Oh well. Let's get it rockin.**

**Rouge: You know, you could add some humor to this story with awkwardness.**

**Me: Awkwardness?**

**Rouge: The stars of this story are two little kids. Think of how awkward some situations can become.**

**Shadow: She does have a point, AK. Humor us. Don't make it all about their feelings and crap.**

**Me: HEY! That crap as you put it is what makes everyone love it! Just look at Don't Stop Believin!**

**Sonic: And must I recall that one incident in chapter nine where you made Shadow and I talk about Rouge's boobs? That certainly got a few laughs.**

**Rouge: You did WHAT?**

**Me:…uhhhhh…..nothing. How about we get things started now huh? NOT IT!**

**EVERYONE: NOT IT!**

**Knuckles: Damn. AK doesn't own any characters in this story. He only owns the plot of it.**

**Me: So enjoy everyone!...Um…Rouge? Why are you looking at me like that?**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 2: Day One**

It was only ten minutes that passed by when Cream went to her house to pick up a few things to bring over to Tails' house. The things were a couple of cooking utensils suck as pots and pans. Tails did occasionally use the very few he had. But he used a few of his wrenches as stirring spoons. That needed to change for the sake of his health.

Tails wasn't really the kind of guy who would know a lot about culinary techniques anyway. He was more of a nuts and bolts guy. But of course, to everyone, that was totally obvious. Lucky Cream watched her mother plenty in the kitchen to know enough. She could use the stove and oven by herself and she was fluent in many different types of food. She liked to vary it up some. And she knew Tails wasn't going to like eating microwavable meals every night. Besides, Cream had always wanted to show off her cooking skills to Tails. Now she was finally going to get her chance.

As she walked out the door with Cheese by her side, her mother went up to her.

"I want you home by eleven at the latest, Cream." She told her daughter. "I don't want you coming home too late and not getting enough sleep."

"Don't worry, mother. I'll be sure to keep track of the time." Cream assured her.

Vanilla smiled knowing she was raising a good girl.

"Well then you better run along then, dear. Tails is probably waiting for you."

Cream and Cheese bid her good-bye and then they both flew off for Tails'. This was going to be a prelude to what was in store for them for the next five months. At least that's what Cream thought anyway. She and Tails were the youngest out of their crew of friends. They were young, but they still had a lot to learn. And this was about to be a lesson for them to learn during this whole wheelchair session with the kitsune.

As she landed on his front porch, Tails was prepared for her arrival. The front door was open and there was a note telling her to come in and close the door behind her. Cream and Cheese entered the house and did what the note said and closed the door. Then she placed her things on the table in the kitchen and found Tails in the front room watching TV. That was pretty much the only thing he could do by himself now. And he was lucky he didn't live in a two story house. Otherwise, he'd be screwed.

He heard Cream's footsteps and turned around to greet her. She waved back and then joined him in watching TV. They ended up agreeing on watching a ten hour marathon of the original Transformers series from the 1980's. Tails loved Transformers for obvious reasons. Cream kinda liked it. She liked how those particular robots were able to feel on their own. She was a big fan of Bumblebee. But then again, who wasn't these days? But none of them seemed to notice this, but Cheese was waving a little flag with the purple symbol of the Decepticons. In Chao language, he was saying this.

"Soundwave kicks ass! Decepticons rule!"

If anyone could understand that chao, they would find what he said to be a little disturbing. But then again, there was something about Soundwave's monotone voice that seemed a bit cool. He was probably the only Decepticon that Autobot lovers seemed to like. It was that awesome voice of his.

After the first four episodes, Cream, Cheese, and Tails all got a bit hungry. And it was time for Cream to turn on her cooking skills. She headed to the kitchen and Tails was kind enough to turn the volume on the TV up so she could hear the show all the way from the kitchen.

But then she went back into the living room to ask Tails what he felt like eating.

"I'm used to just eating TV dinners." He replied. "But if you want to cook, then I won't stop you. What's on the menu?"

Cream gave Tails a list of food choices that all sounded very yummy. Out of all of them, Tails had his mind made up on a nice dish of spaghetti. Simple and delicious. Cream got to work on it while Tails kept watching the classic cartoon with Cheese in his lap. He was still oblivious to the Decepticon flag he had.

As Cream cooked, she was hoping Tails would enjoy this meal. He was used to a certain kind of food. Being a mechanic and all, he rarely stepped outside his comfort zone when it came to things like food. But Cream really wanted Tails to like this.

But even more, there was a little part in Cream's heart that wanted Tails to like HER. And of course, she was completely unaware of the gargantuan crush the kitsune had on her. And he was unaware of the even bigger one SHE had on HIM. It was the classic love predicament. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, both don't know it. Seriously. How many times has that plot been used?

But there was a couple complications. For Tails, it was that Cream was only six years old and he was eight. Sure he was a genius and had even more knowledge than most of his older aged friends, but Cream was six and had the knowledge of a six year old. Just like she should. There was no way he could do things with her he's seen people like Silver and Blaze do together. That was way too mature. Vanilla would never sign off on that.

And the complication on the other side, Tails was in love with another before he liked Cream. And that someone was Cosmo the Seedrian. But she tragically perished seconds after Tails confessed his love for her. That was nearly eight months ago. He seemed to be getting better. But everyone knew he still thought about her. And for Cream, she had it in her mind he was still carrying a torch for her. She missed Cosmo too. She was like a sister to her. It was hard to say goodbye.

But it was all in the past. They had to move on with their lives and be happy. It was for the best. No one was really sure of Tails had moved on. He was kind of hard to read in that area. But as long as he seemed happy, no one had anything to worry about.

After about a half hour of cooking, Cream called Tails and Cheese into the dining room for dinner. Tails wheeled himself in with Cheese still on his lap. The chao hid the Decepticon flag along the way. Tails was about to serve himself and then go back in the living room, But Cream wheeled him over to the other side of the table and pushed him in all the way.

"What are you doing?" Tails asked not used to this.

"We're about to eat dinner. So we sit at the table." Cream replied. "Don't you sit at the table when you eat dinner?"

"No." Was how Tails answered. "The only thing I've ever used this table for is sketching blueprints. I've never actually…eaten on it."

This came as a surprise to Cream.

"Well then where do you eat?" she wanted to know.

"Anywhere." Tails answered. "I make myself something simple, then I take it with me into the living room, or sometimes I eat in my workshop while working at the same time."

They might have been both in the single digit age, but the way they lived was very different from one another. Tails lived by himself. He lived by no one else's rules but his own. But Cream still lived with her mother. And she was taught all the basic rules. Tails' parents abandoned him when he was young. So he had to grow up at a very young age to take care of himself. Sonic still acted as a brother but not very much as a father.

"If you want to eat and watch TV, Tails, I won't stop you." Cream said. "It's your house, you can do what you want. But I like to eat at the table."

Tails smiled as he thought of an idea.

"How about this?" He got Cream's attention. "Tonight, you and I both eat dinner in the living room and watch some classic American animation together. And tomorrow, we'll eat in here. We'll switch every other night."

Cream had never eaten dinner anywhere else but in front of a table before. So it would be a new experience for her to try and not to. And since she wanted to make Tails enjoy his time being unable to walk, she decided to give it a try.

"That sounds like a plan. Let's go."

It was settled. They were going to switch between the table and somewhere else in the house every other night. So they both served themselves, and made their way back into the living room just in time to see Optimus Prime blast Megatron into a wall.

The meal was very delicious. Tails was impressed with Cream. For being only six, she was very good as a chef. Her mother taught her well.

They ate and watched TV for about half an hour before they both finished, Cream offered to do the dishes but Tails insisted that she just leave them in the sink and he'll figure out a way to do them himself. But Cream was not going to budge on that. She was there taking care of him. So she was inclined to do whatever she could to make his life easier. But Tails didn't want her to strain herself. He wanted her to only be his helpful friend, not his worrying mother. He said that to her and she decided to take his word for it. But she rinsed the plates off. She had to at least do that. It was just courtesy.

"Don't you want to do anything else?" Cream asked.

"There isn't much I can do. I'm in a wheelchair. Remember?" Tails reminded.

"I know. But we can play a game or something." Cream suggested.

Tails hadn't thought of that. He had a few games stashed away somewhere. But he just couldn't remember where they were. So he and Cream searched the house but the settled on a deck of cards and started playing Go Fish.

After a few rounds, they kept on going. But then Tails started feeling something he usually felt every day. And as embarrassing as this was going to be for him, he had to let Cream know.

"Um…Cream?"

"Yes?"

Cream was hopeful. The way Tails said her name sounded like he was going to say to say something very important. Was this gonna be it?

"I have to go to the bathroom."

No. It wasn't.

The two of them just looked inside the restroom at the white porcelain bowl wondering how this particular situation was gonna work. It wasn't like they prepared for this. They never even thought about situations like this. Chances are this wasn't going to be the only thing that was going to be complicated.

"So….how are we gonna do this?" Tails asked. "Should we just…"

His brain went totally dead. And Cream….well she was blushing.

"Maybe we should call someone and ask." She suggested.

Cream went and fetched a cordless telephone and went through Tails' contacts. The first on the list was of course, Sonic. And she called him first. And to her surprise, he actually answered.

"Hey, Tails. What's up, buddy?"

"Hi, Mr. Sonic. This is Cream."

Sonic was a little bit surprised to hear her voice coming from Tails' phone.

"Cream? What's going on? Where's Tails?"

Now Cream was a little confused.

"Mr. Sonic…haven't you heard about what happened to Tails?"

Sonic said no. He was over in Empire City visiting a friend of his who just had surgery. He hadn't heard a thing. So Cream told him everything as briefly as she could. And Sonic felt a bit guilty.

"Oh man. That has to be rough on the poor guy." He felt guilty because his best friend got both his legs broken and he wasn't around to help him. "Give me ten seconds."

Cream counted to ten in her head. And when she reached ten…

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The door opened up and the blue hedgehog walked through it wanting to see, Tails. But he saw Cream first as she put the phone down. The bunny directed him to his best pal and he actually gave a small gasp when he saw Tails' condition. He looked so weak and helpless. And Tails was surprised to see Sonic there.

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be too busy running to visit." He assumed.

"Dude, you're my best bud and brother. If something happens to you I put everything down and make sure you're okay. That's what a brother does." Sonic firmly said.

"Then why didn't you come visit me in the hospital yesterday when the accident happened?" Tails questioned.

"No one called and told me." Sonic defended. "I was visiting Tiara in Empire City. She just had surgery. Remember? I told you about that."

Now Tails remembered. Tiara had surgery to prevent kidney disease from taking on its full stage. Sonic elected to be the one to go and visit her.

But now that Sonic was here, Tails had a favor to ask.

"Um…Sonic? As you can see, I'm not really in the best position here. And I got a problem."

Sonic was easily able to figure out what the problem was when he saw the room Tails was right in front of. It was indicated by the toilet.

"Oh." He muttered. "Idea. Be right back."

Sonic dashed out of Tails house and came back precisely five seconds later. And in his hand was a jar. He whispered his idea to Tails and he seemed to like it because he took the jar and proceeded into the bathroom. Sonic waited outside for a few minutes to make sure it all went okay. After he heard the toilet flush, Tails walked out but left the jar in the bathroom.

"Not a bad idea." Tails gave his review.

"I've used that same plan for when there was an awesome 24 hour marathon of CSI. I didn't want to miss a single moment. Only I never saw the inside of the bathroom." Sonic explained. "It was the perfect plan."

"I didn't know you like CSI." Tails said.

"I do." But then Sonic got back on track. "But are you alright, little guy? I mean you broke both of your legs for cryin out loud."

Tails looked down at his casted legs and frowned.

"I've been better, obviously. But I'm doing okay. Cream's here to take care of me until I get out of this chair." He said to the hedgehog.

Sonic smirked at that.

"Oh ho. So you got a cute girl looking after you for five months now." He said. "You got any moves planned?"

Tails blushed an intense shade of red. But he didn't back down from that.

"What? No. She's just my friend who happens to care enough about me to want to take care of me when I need it." Tails argued.

"There's a name for that kind of person, Tails. It's called a girlfriend." Sonic said with a smile.

Tails didn't have a reasonable comeback for that other than, "She's not my girlfriend." So he changed the subject.

"So where you gonna go next? I hear Spagonia is nice this time of year." Tails asked.

Sonic rubbed his chin and thought about that.

"I don't know. I'm thinking I might take a break and kick back. You know. Catch up with everyone. Find out what I missed."

Sonic had actually been running around now for at least a few months. He hadn't been home in that time. He was due for a relaxation period. And Tails would like that.

"I better get home and see if my house needs any cleaning. I'll come by whenever I can to see how you're doing. See ya later, Tails."

With that, Sonic dashed out of Tails' house and he returned to the living room where Cream was still watching Transformers and played Go Fish. Only difference was now Cheese was wearing a helmet that resembled Megatron's head. AND he still had the flag. Even he was surprised that no one noticed his get up.

But soon it became 10:45 and Cream had to go home. But there was one more order of business. Tails had to get into his own bed. But he was actually prepared for that. He was gonna sleep in his chair. He was given a special one that could actually recline back. So he was set. Cream got him some blankets and a pillow and then they bid each other good night.

Meanwhile, Sonic did a bit more running around before finally arriving at his house. He had been away for a long time. So it was kinda nice to be back home again.

"Home sweet home."

He was about to open the front door when he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him and begin to squeeze the life out of him.

"Nice to see you too, Amy." He gasped short of breath.

Amy released her death grip and let Sonic refill his lungs with Oxygen.

"So where've you been, Sonikku? It's been a while since you've been HERE."

Sonic nodded and opened his door offering Amy to come inside. They went inside, sat down, and Sonic explained where he had been.

"I've been around. Just went on an exploratory trip." Sonic had a favor to ask. "Alright. I already know about Tails and I'm really sorry for the guy. But I need you to tell me what I've missed with everyone else."

Amy did fill Sonic in with everyone else. Shadow and Tikal were still BF and GF, same with Silver and Blaze, Amy herself hadn't been doing much. But when she got to Knuckles and Rouge, Sonic was taken aback.

"So…Knuckles took care of Rouge when she was sick for one day…and now they're together? How did THAT happen?"

"Don't ask me. I wasn't there." Amy replied. "So uh…how long are you in town for?"

Sonic leaned back in his seat.

"Actually I was thinking about sticking around for a while. At least until I know Tails can walk on his own again."

"But that's gonna be at least five to six months." Amy told him. "You sure you can stay in one place for that long?"

Sonic chuckled a bit.

"Yeah. I need a break. Besides, Tails needs some support from his friends right now."

"I think it's safe to say he's getting quite a lot of it from Cream." Amy said with a smirk.

Sonic laughed a bit of that. But it was true. Tails and Cream were gonna be around each other a lot. And maybe there was a chance they would learn a lot about each other and maybe become something more than friends. But that was just the general consensus. Five months was a long time. A lot can happen in that time. But with a yawn, Sonic knew he was getting tired. He was going to have to talk to Knuckles about his new girlfriend tomorrow.

"I'm gonna go and catch some Z's." Sonic showed Amy out. "Catch ya later, Ames."

"Good night, my darling."

With that, the first night of Tails' wheelchair days ended and they were plenty more right around the corner. What would happen in THOSE days?

**XXX**

**Amy: Maybe he'll put Sonamy in this like he did Shadikal.**

**Sonic: Maybe. But where is AK anyway?**

**Shadow: Rouge began to chase him when he told her about that little talk you and I had about her knockers in chapter nine of Don't Stop Believin'.**

**Knuckles: I thought she already knew about that.**

**Tikal: Apparently she didn't.**

**Sonic: Well if AK was here, he would say he will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. But I'm not AK. So I'm just gonna say, catch ya on the flipside!**


	3. Not a Bad Start

**Shadow: It's about frickin time you updated on this, AK!**

**Tails: Seriously, dude. Where have you been? You finally start a Taiream story and then you just bail on us. What gives?**

**Me: What gives is the fact that I got a new job.**

**Amy: Oh really? Do you get better pay?**

**Me: WAY better. But the thing is, I'm working full time. I start at 7:30 in the morning and then come home at 4:00. So my time for writing is becoming less. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop.**

**Cream: Well that's a relief. It would be a real shame if you stopped this story.**

**Me: I will NEVER discontinue a story. At least I'll try not to.**

**Knuckles: If you do, I'll hunt you down and punch you so hard, you'll lose your new wage.**

**Me: That….makes no sense. But I get the picture. Now who's turn is it? NOT IT!**

**Everyone: NOT IT!**

**Silver: Huh? Rats. AK doesn't own any of the characters. Just the plot of the story.**

**Me: So please enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 3: Not a Bad Start**

Day one went okay. It wasn't too awkward for them. Except for the part where they had to figure out a way for Tails to go to the bathroom. That was weird. But it was behind them now. And there was plenty more ahead of them to come. But their young minds had no idea what would eventually come out of all this. All they knew was that their crushed for the other were strong. But they didn't know the other felt the exact same way. And considering how long they had felt this way towards another, one would think they would have caught on by now. But no. Both Tails and Cream were still clueless that they were not only crushers but also crushes themselves.

But it was clearly obvious to everyone else that they liked each other. Sonic knew it about tails and Amy knew the same for Cream. But as much as they liked each other, they were too scared to tell. Tails because he thought she wouldn't want to be in a relationship at age six, and Cream wasn't so sure if Tails was over Cosmo yet. So they had to wait it out. And that's what they planned to do. But that didn't mean they couldn't have fun with each other in the meantime.

Now when one is confined to a wheelchair, the things you try to find that are fun, turn out to not be fun at all. Most of the things Tails considers fun require him to use his legs and be standing up. Two things he couldn't do for months. And no matter how hard he tried getting his mind off of it, he couldn't help but get depressed upon remembering that tiny fact. Cream was like Advil for that. She just masked the symptoms, but they were still there nonetheless. And for him, that blows.

But as long as he was getting a dose of Cream every day, along with the many other pain killers he was prescribed to him by the doctors, Tails would be fine. And as he woke up that morning for day two, he thought the same. Cream was the medicine that made him happy. But he did not have the guts to tell her that to her face. It wasn't right. At least not yet. Even though they were best friends, there were a lot of things Tails didn't know about Cream, and vice versa, the whole crush thing aside. But they had five whole months to spend together. Surely they would come to know each other better in that time.

And it was all gonna start with day two. All they did yesterday was sit at home and watch a marathon of Transformers all day and play games. It was alright. But they both of them knew they couldn't do that every day. Tails was confined to a wheelchair, but that didn't mean he was also confined to his house. He could go outside. He just couldn't fly because then it would mess up his legs. The clock hit nine AM. And then a knock on the door came. Tails rolled himself over to the door to answer and smiled when he saw the petite little bunny along with her chao friend waiting on his porch. Cheese was sure to hide all of his Decepticon fan wear from them before he left home so Vanilla wouldn't find it. He knew if Cream or Cheese discovered he was a Decepticon fan, no one would ever be able to look at him the same way again. The little chao was surprised neither Cream nor Tails saw him yesterday when he was right in front of them dressed in a Megatron helmet. But as long as they didn't notice.

Tails openly welcomed the girl into his house and then the young kit excused himself to the kitchen for his legs were starting to ache from his ankles all the way up to his hips. He opened up a small cabinet where he kept the bottles of medication the doctors prescribed to him and took out the proper amount of dosage they told him to take each day. Cream walked in and saw the pills on the counter as Tails was filling a glass with water so he could swallow them easier.

"Are you sure you need to take all of these, Tails?" Cream asked never seeing so many different pills before.

Tails turned off the tap in his sink and nodded when he looked back at her.

"This kind of injury requires a lot of medication, Cream." He answered. "One pain killer isn't going to be enough to help the pain subside. So many different ones have to be put in here."

"But I thought it was dangerous to mix pills with other pills." Cream pointed.

"That's only if they're all for a different purpose." Tails replied. "These are all pain killers that I was prescribed. So they're all for the same thing."

"But taking six pills at once is a little overboard. Isn't it?" Cream counted how many pills were on his counter.

"Oh I'm not gonna take them ALL right now." Tails answered. "I'm just gonna take two for right now, and then take the other four over the course of the day. If I took them all right now, then something bad could happen. Sure they're all for them same purpose. But if I take them all at once, who knows what it might do to me."

That made Cream feel better.

"I was just thinking that." Cream said. "Whenever I'm sick, my Mama only gives me one asprin and that's it."

"Well these pills are a lot stronger than that." Tails wheeled over and took two of them in his hand. "These things are at least twice as strong as asprin."

With that, Tails popped the two pills in his mouth and drank some of the water to help them slide down his throat. After he did that, he put the other four tablets on a higher part of his counter so he wouldn't forget to take them. It was hell when he wasn't on pills. His legs felt as if they were on fire or getting cut off by a hacksaw. It was an unbearable pain. And of he missed on dosage, he was screwed.

"So what do you wanna do today?" Tails asked the bunny.

"Well first I need to make you breakfast." Cream said. "Do you like scrambled eggs?"

"I love em'." Tails replied happily. "You need any help?"

"Oh no." she said. "I'm helping you out through this. And that means you don't lift a finger. I'll do everything. You just relax."

Even though she was the most polite girl Tails or anyone had every met, the young kit shook his head.

"Come on, Cream. If you do everything for me for five straight months, you'll go crazy with all the stress. Please let me hold on to some of my dignity and let me help you out."

Dignity. I guess that word meant a lot to Tails right now being in the condition he was. And Cream couldn't say no to something like that. Even though he was hurt, he wasn't useless. And he didn't want to be useless at all.

"If you really want to." Cream said.

Tails smiled at her and rolled over to the fridge. He leaned over and was able to get his hands on the carton of eggs he had stored in there. Then he took them over to Cream who got up on a stepping stool to reach the height of the stove. She had also acquired a frying pan to cook the food in and turned on the gas to the proper heating level. When the heating was done, Tails handed her the right amount of eggs and she cracked them.

Tails hoped she was planning on making some for herself too. He didn't want her to just think about him. Well….actually he did, but not to the point where she forgot about her own need to eat. But fortunately, she cracked two more eggs for herself and Cheese found some bacon in the freezer.

After a short wait, breakfast was served. And with the first bite, Tails was overtaken by how good it was. He thought if Cream ever went on a cooking show, she would be a shoe in to win. Not only with her amazing cooking skills. But she's extremely cute. Seriously. How could a cold-hearted judge say no to such a cute face like Cream's? Her smile was enough to make Tails' heart melt like a popsicle at a firework show. The only person Tails actually knew was immune to her sweetness was Eggman. He had kidnapped her a few times before so the cute thing didn't work on him.

After they finished eating, and a quick cleaning of the dishes, Tails and Cream got back to where they were before. Discussing what they wanted to do for the rest of the day. And it was only ten in the morning.

"Why don't we spend the day outside?" Cream suggested.

Tails was of course all for that idea. He was surprised he didn't get a chance to say it first. It had been so long since he was outside and on the ground at the same time. So maybe looking at things from the ground might give him a different perspective of the world he's been in for a while. No matter where he goes, he flies. It was time to go by ground again.

"That sounds like a great idea." Tails agreed of course. "Where do you wanna go?"

"I was kind of hoping to visit with Miss Blaze and Mr. Silver." Cream responded. "I need to ask them if I can borrow something from them."

Visit Silver and Blaze? It wasn't exactly what Tails had in mind when he thought of going outside. But it was still better that remaining cooped up here in his house. Besides, he had to thank Silver for taking him to the hospital in the first place when the accident happened.

"Sure, let's go."

Before he left, Tails got the other pills he put on the table and put them in a small bag in case he needed to take one of them later and he still wasn't home. After that, they left. And instead of wheeling himself like he had been, Tails was a surprised when Cream floated up to the height of the handlebars on the chair and began to push with her feet still off the ground.

"You don't have to do that." Tails insisted. "I'm fine pushing myself."

"I know." She replied. "But I'm fine pushing you."

If she was fine with it, why fight it? That's what Tails thought. And it was kind of nice not having to push the thing himself. Cheese even fell asleep in his lap as they went down the streets to Silver's and Blaze's place.

Along the way, Tails noticed how beautiful Emerald Hill was from ground level. He always looked down on it from above. So looking up was a bit unfamiliar for him. But it was nice to see things from a different point of view.

"Wow." He thought out loud.

Cream smiled anticipating he might say something along those lines. She was well aware of his love for flight. So she also knew it was a long time since Tails took a simple walk by himself. But then again, doing that was gonna have to be put on hold with no legs to walk on.

After about a ten minute trip, they arrived at the house of a certain grey psychic hedgehog and a lilac pyrokinetic cat. Cream ran the doorbell and Blaze was the one who answered the door.

"Oh hi there, Cream." Blaze said with a smile. But it soon faded when she saw the wheelchair and the one sitting in it. "Oh my gosh! Tails, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story." Tails answered.

"Well please. Come in." the cat opened the door up all the way and Tails wheeled himself in but was careful to not wake the sleeping Cheese.

As Blaze closed the door, Silver heard it shut with a dull bang and turned around to see Cream and Tails there.

"Oh hey you two." He greeted.

"Hi, Mr. Silver." Cream responded.

Then Silver looked at Tails completely.

"So…do I even have to ask how you're doing or should I just guess?"

"I'm doing okay." Tails answered. "Sure it's gonna be something to get used to, but maybe time will go by quicker than usual."

"Well…you can hope." Was all Silver had to say on that. "So what brings you two by here?"

Cream answered that one.

"I was hoping if I could borrow some flour. My mother needs it."

Silver stood up and took Cream to the kitchen to get her that flour and lat left Blaze and Tails alone.

"So what happened to your legs?" Blaze wanted to know.

"I was working on my plane and I was right underneath the wing. I must have loosened one too many screws because the whole thing came down and smashed both my legs. Now I'm stuck sitting down in a chair for five whole months."

It took a moment for Blaze to absorb all that, but she did and they continued on conversing.

"So…are you okay? You know. Mentally."

That was a fair question.

"I guess." Tails said. "Cream actually agreed to come to my house every day and visit me so I wouldn't have to be alone for the next five months. So that's cool."

Blaze smirked a bit at that, but not enough as to where Tails could notice. It was kind of obvious as to why she was smirking when she heard that.

"I guess you're taking pain pills for the time being?"

Tails nodded and showed her the pills that were given to him.

"They still hurt a little bit. But not as much as when I don't take them at all."

"Aw Tails, you can't trust this stuff to work all the time." Blaze wasn't the biggest believer in pharmaceutical products. "You wait here. I'll be right back."

It took ten seconds, but Blaze got up, walked away, and then came back with a whole bunch of bottles and a glass. There was also an egg. The bottles were clearly labeled vinegar, 7up, and Tabasco sauce. She also had brought with her a pepper shaker and some Nyquil.

But then Tails saw Blaze do something which to this day was probably the strangest thing anyone had ever seen Blaze do. She took everything she had put on that table, and mixed it all up in one glass. The end result was a very thick liquid substance. And it was black. But then she cracked the egg and let the yolk pour inside. And then she topped it off by sprinkling a bit of the pepper on top of it.

"Okay. What the HELL is that?" Tails demanded to know.

Blaze smiled at him.

"This is an old remedy for extreme pain. My mother taught it to me before I came to this dimension." Blaze responded.

Then she picked up the glass and held it up for Tails to grab. And Tails knew what that gesture meant.

"You want me to drink that?" he asked hoping she was kidding.

But she wasn't. Blaze really wanted him to drink that stuff. And her nod confirmed it.

"Um…yeah." Tails muttered. "Blaze, are you out of your freaking mind? I just got out of the hospital with two severely broken legs. Are you trying to send me back there or something?"

Blaze put the glass back down so she could explain.

"No, Tails. This actually works." She assured him. "When I was a kid about your age, I was always getting myself hurt. And my mother would make me this every time I got a cut or a bruise to help ease the pain. There was even this one time I broke my arm falling out of a tree. I took a sip of this. The next day I didn't even remember I broke it."

Now Blaze was never a good liar or a practical joker. Everyone knew that. So what she said had to be true.

Taking a big gulp out of fear, Tails reached for the glass when Blaze picked it up for him again. After two whole minutes of staring at it, he pinched his nose shut and then took a sip of the mystery formula Blaze put together. But that wasn't enough.

That stuff tasted bad obviously. There wasn't even a distinct flavor to it. It was just bad. In fact it was so bad Tails nearly spit it out but Blaze covered his mouth with her own hand to make sure that didn't happen. Wanting nowhere near his taste buds no longer after ten seconds, Tails had no choice but to swallow it. Then Blaze removed her hand.

"There. Was that so hard?" she asked.

"Blaze if this stuff kills me I swear I will come back here and haunt you for all eternity." Tails threatened.

"Before you hold that promise, how do your legs feel now?" Blaze asked.

Tails froze when he realized something. Both of his legs were absolutely free of pain. There were no small aches or throbbing or anything like that. It was all completely gone.

Blaze smiled when she saw the shocked look in Tails' face.

"I told you." She said. "Take a few sips every twelve hours and you'll be without pain for the entire time you're in that chair."

The little fox couldn't believe this. That small amount of crap just subsided his pain. And Blaze just gave him the recipe and instructions on how to make it himself. Sure it was going to taste horrible but if it made all the pain just up and vanished, who cares? Tails certainly didn't.

After a few more minutes, it was time for Tails and Cream to leave. Compared to that little event, the rest of the day was pretty boring.

But there were still plenty more to come.

**XXX**

**Me: Alright! I finally updated.**

**Amy: Where have you been? I thought you would've got this done earlier!**

**Me: Well excuse me. But I have a job now and just today I went out to see a movie.**

**Knuckles: Oh yeah? Which movie?**

**Me: Green Lantern.**

**Sonic: Oh crap! That's right! It came out just yesterday! Is it any good?**

**Me: First chance I get, I'm gonna go see it again. But maybe I'll get another chapter up before that. Until then, peace bitches.**


	4. Down the Road

**Me: Hey bitches! I'm back again! And geez I'm becoming so effing slow. And I hate that!**

**Sonic: I guess this job is taking up a lot more time than you thought huh?**

**Me: No kidding. Eight straight hours a day but the pay is great. **

**Tails: Can you just please stop drifting off? I really want to see the end of this story and this is only the fourth chapter!**

**Me: And I deeply apologize for that, Tails! But like I just said ten seconds ago, I've been busy.**

**Rouge: Then how come you've been updating on the AutoKnights so much?**

**(Awkward silence)**

**Me: Well…I can explain that. Recently I saw the third Transformers movie. Dark of the Moon. Twice. And both times in 3D. So, my nerdiness of Transformers returned and I just had to pour some of my new ideas into the AutoKnights as soon as I could.**

**Shadow: And you've been buying more toys I see.**

**Me: Of course I have! I'm a nerd! I'm a good looking nerd!**

**Knuckles: Well let's not go THAT far.**

**Me: You think I'm not a nerd?**

**Knuckles: I meant about the good looking part.**

**(Laughter)**

**Me: Oh shut up, Knuckles. Let's just do this. So who's turn is it this time? NOT IT!**

**Everyone: NOT IT!**

**Shadow: Very well then. AK only owns the plot of this story and nothing else. Oh yeah. And the other reason he hasn't been around is because he's been trying to deal with his newfound liking of My Little Pony.**

**Me: SHUT UP, SHADOW!**

**Amy: Oh AK. Not you too.**

**Me: It's true. That new show of theirs got to me too. But….just enjoy the chapter everyone. While I go stand in a corner and drown in my shame.**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 4: Down the Road**

So the next three weeks went by quickly. And during said three weeks, Cream of course stayed true to her word. She was at Tails' house every day by at least nine in the morning. You could literally set your watch to her. It was like clockwork. She was at least a few seconds different each day, but she was always there at nine AM on the dot.

Over the past three weeks, the three of them did a lot of various things. And they did a lot of things outside too. It got boring really quick just staying inside. They did all sorts of things outside the house. They went to the movies together, got ice cream, walked through the park, it was bliss.

But inside Tails, Cream was now the second thing on his mind all the time. He dared to tell no one this. But the fact that he couldn't walk was tearing him apart. It gnawed at him that his feet would not be able to touch the ground for months. And he couldn't fly too. THAT got to him the most. Flying was his passion. It was what he thought he was born to do. Fly and build stuff. And he was restricted from his lab. Cream wasn't gonna let her go anywhere near it. She had set up her own little rules in the time she was there.

If he told anyone that on the inside, he was going insane, they would never let him hear the end of the lecture that would come. And Cream would probably be upset because she was supposed to make him feel happy. And he was indeed happy. Partially at least. It was enough to fool Cream and anyone else who happened to pop into his house. Namely Vanilla who checked in every once in a while to see how things were going.

It was another beautiful day. Blue sky with minimal clouds and maximum sunlight. How Tails longed to reach for it once more. But today, his thoughts weren't so bad. Why? Because today he and Cream had plans which they had talked about for a week straight. He and Cream, along with Cheese of course, they were going to go shopping around the mall for anything interesting they could find. They were kids. It was fun to buy random things just for the fact that it's cool to have. Also, Tails was hoping to find some special trinkets that could make this wheelchair life easier. It was a mall. There was bound to be something.

"You ready to go yet, Tails?" Cream asked as she came into the kitchen.

"One more minute, Cream. I just gotta fill up my thermos." The kitsune replied.

Yes. Tails carried a thermos now. Why? Because of Blaze's pain remedy. He took it wherever he went now. It truly worked like a charm. And there were no side effects. Except for the horrible taste at the very beginning. But that passes with a Tic-Tac and a LOT of teeth brushing.

As Tails poured the remedy into his thermos, Cream made a disgusted face as she watched the black liquid pour.

"I still can't believe you drink that stuff every day." She told him. "I mean seriously, Tails. How do you do it?"

Tails gave a small chuckle at his crush's confusion. He was confused himself a bit as to why he drank it. But he still knew why he did. And HOW he did.

"I just plug my nose when I drink it. It works every time. Don't taste a thing." Tails explained. "But then after I release my nose, the aftertaste starts to come in. At that point I empty a whole case of Tic-Tacs into my mouth."

"Well…kudos I guess for finding a way to tolerate it. I guess if it helps. Right?"

"Yeah. I should thank Blaze again if we see her."

And with that, Tails closed the lid on his thermos, and the two young ones were off to the mall. Cheese took a seat in Tail's numb lap while Cream used her giant ears to propel herself and Tails as she steered the chair. She didn't go too fast as to bring danger to pedestrians on the sidewalk. But she went fast enough to where she could get a steady pace going and keep it.

It took probably fifteen minutes for the two of them to reach the Station Square mall. The two of them just stared at the front entrance looking at the place.

"So….what exactly are we here for?" Creams asked Tails.

"Anything that interests us." Tails replied. "I have some money to spend from selling a few spare parts lying around my shop."

Cream narrowed her eyes at the last two words of Tails' sentence.

"I thought you weren't supposed to go in your shop." She said in a lower tone.

Tails had a reason.

"That was for building. But the rules said nothing about selling spare parts. I can do that without getting up. All I need is my computer for using eBay."

Well that was true. Tails didn't really do anything wrong. All he did was sell some stuff so he could get some money to spend. He didn't want to keep mooching off the donations Miss Vanilla was giving him. It made him feel like a freeloader. Now he knows what Vector feels like. But then again, Vector thinks he's NOT a freeloader even though he's never paid a single bill in his entire life.

But it was hard for him to go into his shop again and view his plane. Not being able to fly it for three months was heartbreaking for him. The least he could do is lend it to Sonic so it could get out a bit. It needed to be tended to by someone if the owner is incapable of doing so. Who better than the guy it originally belonged to? He would have to remember to ask Sonic about that later.

The mall was packed like usual with humans and Mobians alike. And the stores were also doing well today. A customer every ten seconds and millions of dollars go into their funds.

For two kids and a chao on their own, the mall seemed like the biggest place in the world. And a variety of toys, clothes, games, and other stuff was right there inside those many stores waiting for them. All they had to do was find the right stuff. They were kids. Spending their money as soon as they get it is kind of what they're good at.

An hour and a half into it, the two youngsters had only gotten through half of the place. And they were nowhere near ready to be done. As they came out of one store to go into the next one, they were conversing.

"I'm telling you, Cream. I don't get what all the hype is about this whole My Little Pony craze." Tails said. "I thought it was the lamest thing in the world. Why is it becoming so popular again? Is there some sort of retro thing going on or something?"

Cream giggled at that. Being a little girl, she knew all about it.

"It's that new show. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It's a very fun show. You should try it some time."

"Seeing as how Sonic would probably kill me if he caught me doing that, I think not." Tails defended.

"Hey. You owe me after you made me sit through that new Transformers movie. That was two hours. One episode of My Little Pony lasts twenty minutes. I think you'll survive."

Oh boy. Cream was going for the, "you owe me" trick. But Tails still wasn't gonna bite. But that was before Cream unleashed phase two of her trick.

It was the face. You know the face. She droops her ears even more, hands behind her back, her eyes begin to grow and bubble up in a look of sadness, and then to finish it off, her bottom lip stuck out and began to tremble as if she was about to start crying.

That's Cream the Rabbit for you. She's cute. And she knows it. A lethal combination if used correctly. Primarily used by small children to manipulate their parents into buying them something, or in this case, to make your male best friend watch a TV show targeted for girls.

Tails HATED the face when it was used against him. He had never made it himself. But he was certainly able to. But Cream had always put the face to good use before. And now she turned it on Tails. And the thing about the face whenever Cream makes it,

It works. Every. Frickin. Time.

"Oh alright. One episode when we get back. But that's it. Agreed?"

Cream disarmed the face and reverted to her normal expression. But she knew something Tails didn't.

"_One episode is all it takes."_

The shopping re-commenced after that. But a few minutes later, Tails noticed two people in a store he would never go in by himself.

It was Shadow the Hedgehog and his ever so polite girlfriend, Tikal the Echidna. And they were inside a store for guns. Go figure.

"Shadow, how much longer are you going to browse? You know I hate coming in here." Tikal complained being her pacifist self.

"I know, sweetie. But I just need to get some extra rounds for my sidearm and then we'll leave. I just happened to see that new shotgun and got entranced." Shadow told her.

Tikal sighed. That was Shadow. Always wanting to get his hands on the latest model weapons. But she didn't mind. As long as he said he loved her every day, she didn't care how big a gun nut he was. As they turned around to get the ammo Shadow wanted, Tikal noticed two young friends of hers walk towards them. Well, one of them walked. The other just...rolled.

"Hi there, Miss Tikal and Mister Shadow." Cream politely greeted them.

"Hi, Cream." Tikal said to her. "And hello to you as well, Tails."

Tails just waved at her. He knew very well she was trying to not bring up the fact that he was in a wheelchair. And he appreciated that she knew he didn't want to get into it.

"Chao chao chao!"

Cheese always liked Tikal because of her ability to speak with Chao. He flew into her arms and hugged her as his way of saying hello.

"Well it's nice to see you too, Cheese." Tikal said to the Chao with a smile. "Shadow, aren't you going to say hello?"

As much as Tikal and Tails thought it was avoided, Shadow didn't really catch on to what they were doing as he just stared at Tails.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Tikal smacked her forehead and gave a heavy sigh. And Tails just sighed himself as well. Cream remained silent not really liking the store she had entered.

"I broke my legs fixing my plane. Let's leave it at that." Tails pleaded.

Shadow just shrugged not really caring to begin with. It was just out of curiosity he asked the question.

"Tails, can we leave this store? I don't really like it here."

Cream was uncomfortable inside a store full with lethal weapons. And they all understood that. She was only six. Guns weren't exactly what she was into. But Tikal explained to her that they were on their way out themselves and that she and Shadow would love to join them. They agreed. Shadow just groaned because now he had to spend the next matter of hours with two little kids.

But he was able to get through it because Tikal was there with him. As long as she was there, he was fine. They hit a few more stores along their way through the mall and Tikal was even kind enough to push Tails' chair around. The last store they went into was a store for handicapped people. They were all surprised to learn that place actually existed. It was strange. But they went inside nonetheless.

Inside, there were all sorts of things specifically made for the purpose of making a disabled person's life, whether temporary or permanent, easier. It was brilliant the stuff they found. Crutches with grips made for comfort, custom made wheelchairs with paintjobs, but the thing that interested Tails the most was a small motor that could easily be installed into the wheels of the motorless chair he's in right now.

But it was a bit out of his price range.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to keep pushing myself around then."

But then Tikal made a suggestion to the boy.

"How about Shadow and I buy it for you?"

Tails and Cream looked at them not really sure of she was serious or not. But either way, Tails couldn't accept it.

"No no no. It's too much. You don't have to do that."

"He's right. We don't. Let's go." Shadow tried to get out of there.

But Tikal grabbed his arm and Shadow just groaned once more.

"No, Tails. I insist. Let me do this for you." She told the fox.

"I can't, Tikal. It's just not right."

"Tails, I'm not taking no for an answer."

She was more stern in her tone with that last line. Tails honestly shouldn't have been that surprised. Tikal loved helping out her friends in whatever ways she can. As much as Tails wanted to keep saying no, he knew all too well she wouldn't let it go. Plus, he DID want it so he wouldn't have to use his hands on his wheels. His gloves were beginning to get worn.

"Well…if you're okay spending that much." Tails was beaten.

"Of course we are. We have plenty. Right Shadow?" Tikal looked at her hedgehog.

Shadow kept his real opinion bottled up. So he gave the fake one that would make Tikal happy.

"Of course we are."

After the payment was done on that motor, Tikal and Cream went out of the store first, leaving Tails with Shadow. And Shadow had wanted that because he pulled Tails' chair and spun it around so they were face to face. And he had his infamous scowl again.

"You owe me BIG, fox." He snapped. "I did something for you today. So this is what's gonna happen. There will come a time when I'm gonna need to ask you a favor. I don't know what it will be but when the time for it comes, I will call you. And you WILL answer that call. Because if you DON'T, you're gonna have a lot more to worry about then both of your legs being broken. Do I make myself clear?"

This was something Shadow did quite often. Threaten his friends. But other times he was just kidding because they could all tell by the tone of his voice. But the tone used here was different and more serious. So there was no BS here.

Tails was able to nod his head as a response and Shadow took it. With that they left the store and the two pairs said their goodbyes as Cheese went back to Tails' lap. As they turned around to part, Tails looked at Cream.

"Run. And whatever you do, don't look back into Shadow's eyes."

Cream wasn't sure why Tails was asking her to run. But if it involved not looking at Shadow, it had to be bad. So she started to run bags in hand and Tails began to spin those wheels on his chair faster than ever before.

When they got back to Tails' house, the fox locked the door and then helped Cream jam a chair into it for extra protection. That's when they thought they were safe from the murderous black hedgehog.

"That guy scares my tails off." The kitsune said as he took a drink of the pain remedy. "What does Tikal even see in him?"

"Clearly something we don't see at all." Cream pointed out. "Maybe we just don't know Mister Shadow well enough."

"Maybe we just shouldn't even know him." Tails thought that was the better idea. "But it's too late for that now isn't it?"

"I guess." Cream said as she looked at the clock and saw it read 3 PM.

And she smirked. Because that was when a certain show came on that Tails promised he'd watch.

He had no choice. He gave her his word. Cream turned on the TV and flipped to the right channel. And My Little Pony was beginning. Tails slumped down in his chair and sighed.

"_Why does that face have to be so freakin cute?"_

**XXX**

**Cream: YAY! Another chapter got finished!**

**Tikal: Aren't you proud, AK?**

**(Looks around and notices I'm not there)**

**Tails: Where'd he go?**

**Shadow: Probably to go and watch My Little Pony.**

**(Knuckles shakes his head)**

**Knuckles: I know where they are.**

**(He leads everyone down to the basement where the room is filled with smoke and I am sitting around a table with Sonic and Silver.**

**Silver: So like…are those ponies really that addicting?**

**Me: Yeah, man. You watch one episode, you never go back. But get this, one of those ponies…..is a LESBIAN.**

**Sonic: A lesbian pony? Which one?**

**Me: That one with the rainbow hair. I mean come on. She's totally a dude trapped in a girl's body. And who else does their hair in a rainbow?**

**Sonic: I don't know man. HEY! You think she can make Skittles come out of her hair?**

**(Silver, Sonic, and I start to laugh hysterically while everyone else just looks at us. I notice)**

**Me: Huh? OH! I gotta do the ending don't I? Okay. Well, I hope you enjoyed this little chappie. So review and all that stuff.**

**Until next time…..uuuuuuhhhhh….until then…oh screw it. I'm gonna go watch that damn show. AND I'M PROUD OF IT!**


	5. Roles Reversed

**Me: Yeah I know. It's been too damn long since the last chapter.**

**Tails: Gee. YA THINK!**

**Me: Oh shut your ass up, Tails. I'm going as fast as I can here.**

**Shadow: I don't think it really helps that you published ANOTHER story.**

**Amy: Seriously, AK. You have too many stories on hold. You need to prioritize.**

**Me: I know already. But it's just that….oh screw it. I'm in no mood to argue. Let's just get this thing going. I only own the plot of this story and none of the characters. Enjoy.**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 5: Roles Reversed**

Okay. So it's been a few more weeks since that little trip to the mall. Not to mention the semi-threat from Shadow. And the rundown of events, well there really was none. It was the same thing over and over again. Cream came over, kept him company, took care of him, helped him eat, they went outside every other day, it was becoming very repetitive.

But the thing was, they didn't care.

See, when there are two secret crushed for each other going the same directions, those two people really don't seem to care what they do with each other as long as they're together.

But they just wanted so badly to tell each other what they felt. But on Cream's side, she was afraid Tails might still not be over Cosmo's death and get mad at her for forcing him into trying to move in. But unbeknownst to her, he already had. Sure not a day went by when he didn't think about Cosmo, but he had to understand that it was now all in the past and he couldn't go back and change it. If only Cream knew that.

Ever since the trip to the mall, Tails installed the little motor on the wheels of his chair with the help of Sonic. And everything was great now. He could move around by himself now. He couldn't get up and down stairs yet but just plain moving around is a start. And Cream was just happy she didn't have to push him anymore. Actually, she could and sometimes she still did just for the sake of being a few inches closer to him. A few inches closer made their hearts go wild. That's how much they care.

Anyway, it was one fine day when the sun was unfortunately hidden today behind the wall of grey rainclouds. And it really bummed Sonic out because he planned to go running that day. So he just stayed in. So it looked like other than Cream, Tails wouldn't have any visitors today.

Or so he thought.

A few miles away from Tails' house, another pair of two people that were his friends were taking a walk together underneath a white umbrella with a pink heart on it. And that couple was composed of the two people that everyone thought would never hook up. Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat.

As the two Mobians made their way through the park, they took a look around and just viewed the scenes. Water dripping of branches, small creaks of muddy water heading for the gutter of the street, the smell of rain itself, oh that smell was something Rouge would die for. It was the best smell in the world to her. The scent that hits her nostrils after a recent rainfall brings her a lot of happiness. Surprising for being such a tough and rough girl.

"Rouge, can we please go home now?" Knuckles asked his girlfriend. "It's freezing out here in the rain."

"Just a few more minutes, Knuckie." Rouge responded. "You know I love the rain."

"Which is something I still don't get about you." Knuckles said to her.

Disregarding that, Rouge continued to smell the air and feel the content the aroma brought her. But when she turned her head to inhale through her nose again, she spotted a street sign that gave the name of a somewhat familiar street. She knew one of her friends lived on that street, but she couldn't remember which one. Exactly. Suddenly she remembered because her memory started working.

"There's one more thing we're gonna do before we go back to your place." Rouge said to her guy. "Tails lives nearby and he's feeling pretty down. Let's just drop in and say hello."

Knuckles was about to complain. But if he did that, he and Rouge would only get into an argument and then he would have to freeze his tail off even more in the rain. So he just nodded his head and went with Rouge.

When they reached his house, Knuckles knocked on the door first.

"Yo, Tails. It's Knuckles. You home, buddy?"

There came no answer. A few seconds later, he tried again.

"Tails! Open up man! It's frickin freezing out here!"

Once again, zero response. The red echidna took a peek now through the windows of the door and much to his surprise, he saw Tails' chair not too far away from the door. And he wasn't moving.

Thinking something bad was going on, Knuckles tried the door. Rouge insisted it would be locked but Knuckles tried and he succeeded proving Rouge wrong. The door was completely unlocked. After going through it, Knuckles went over to Tails and Rouge followed soon after closing her umbrella and taking off her jacket. She then too saw that Tails had both his eyes tightly shut and he didn't seem to be moving at all.

"Ummmm…Tails? You in there?" Knuckles whispered.

Knuckles gave Tails a gentle nudge. Although his eyes didn't open up, he stirred in his chair and groaned a bit.

"See Knuckles, he's fine. He's just sleeping. Let's go and let him rest." Rouge insisted.

"Hold on. I need to ask him something." Knuckles began to softly shake the fox to free him from his trance of slumber. "Tails, wake up."

This went on for a few more minutes. The more Knuckles seemed to push, the more Tails seemed to stir around and moan in his sleep. Sometimes what he groaned sounded like words, but they were totally unclear and unreadable.

But on the last try, Knuckles shook Tails one last time. And then the young kitsune's eyes shot wide open, and his whole body shot straight up so his spine was stiff.

"PONIES! PONIES EVERYWHERE!"

Those were the words Tails screamed upon his awakening. And after he did, he looked to the left and right and saw that he was not alone. And judging by the very confused looks they were now sporting on their faces, they heard what he just yelled. And that was a very bad thing.

"What the HELL was that?" Knuckles questioned.

"Um….nothing. Nothing at all. Just a bad dream." Tails nervously answered.

"About….ponies?" Rouge wasn't convinced.

Tails looked away not wanting to talk about it. And lucky for him, Knuckles didn't even want to know. He wanted to know something else.

"Why was your door unlocked, Tails?" he asked. "With you in a wheelchair, anyone could just walk in here and help themselves to anything in the house."

And of course the kitsune had an answer.

"I left it open for Cream."

Rouge and Knuckles looked around. They were the only three in the house.

"Tails, Cream isn't here." Rouge pointed out.

Tails looked around and saw Rouge was right. Cream wasn't there. After puttering his chair around the whole house, he realized that Cream was not in his house at all. And then he had to check one more thing. He looked over at the nearest clock.

It read 11:30 am.

Usually Cream was there a lot earlier than this. Why the tardiness now? He thought of there only being one solution. She was simply running or late or had something else to do. And then he thought of another something he could do to prove his theory. He grabbed an umbrella out of his closet and headed for the front door.

But before he left, he made sure Rouge and Knuckles departed as well. The three bid farewell on the front porch before Tails asked this.

"Oh and um…I beg of you. Don't tell ANYONE about what I did when I woke up."

Rouge and Knuckles both had to keep straight faces when they said yes to him. Because as soon as he wheeled away and the two of them walked the opposite direction, they began laughing at the fox.

"Ponies? Are you friggin kidding me?" Rouge chuckled.

"Sonic is SO gonna hear about this!" Knuckles openly laughed.

As the two of them laughed all the way back home, Tails just tried his best to roll his chair without losing grip on his umbrella in the wind. One hand on the umbrella and the other on the little joystick that makes that motor work. That was what he had to work with. And all in all. It wasn't bad. He wasn't cold or anything. The thick fur on his body made it virtually impossible for him to get cold. He didn't even shiver the entire time he was outside.

After nearly twenty minutes, Tails arrived on the front porch of Cream's house. It was safe to put down the umbrella so he did so and knocked on the door. Vanilla was the one who opened it up and she was quite shocked to see who was there.

"Oh my! Tails." She was too surprised to notice the rude tone she just used to greet him. "Come inside you poor dear! It must be cold!"

Tails briefly explained his fur took care of that and wheeled himself into the house while Vanilla shut the door behind him. Then Cheese brought the young kitsune a dry towel to get the moisture off of him. That took only a few seconds. When he handed the now damp towel back to Cheese, he looked around the house for Cream. And strangely, she wasn't there either.

"Miss Vanilla?" Tails called.

"You're wondering where Cream is. Aren't you?"

Man she was good. So good she didn't even need to hear the question and still have an answer.

"Yeah. I am. Is she here?"

"Yes she is. But I don't think she'll be able to go anywhere today. Or tomorrow for that matter."

Tails immediately got disappointed when Vanilla said that.

"What? Why? Is she in trouble or something?" the fox asked.

"Oh no." Vanilla assured him. "Nothing of the sort. See, when she was walking home last night, the rain caught her by surprise and she didn't have an umbrella or any warm clothes."

She stopped right there wondering if Tails would get where she was going with it. And of course, Tails was a genius. So it didn't take long for him to put two and two together. Rain plus Cream with no umbrella equals…

"She got sick, didn't she?"

Vanilla nodded her head. Cream was sick in her bed with a cold and she was under strict ordered from her mother not to go anywhere.

"It's not anything serious. Is it?" Tails asked hoping it wasn't.

"Oh goodness no." Vanilla assured him with a smile. "It's just a simple cold. She'll be back on her feet and running around in the next couple days. But until then, I don't think she'll be able to come to your house, Tails. I'm sorry."

Tails frowned. He had become so used to being with Cream. Even in her house he felt alone because she wasn't there next to him. But she was right across the hall.

"Is it okay if I just go in and say hello?" he asked.

"Of course dear."

Vanilla smiled and let Tails putter his chair down the hallway. A few seconds later, he reached the door to her room and opened it. There were tissues everywhere across the floor. But then Tails looked at her bed.

And there she was.

Cream was out cold. Fast asleep and looking so cute and peaceful. Her hair and ears were a mess, her muzzle was red, and there were bags under her eyes. Not wanting to wake her, Tails thought about just leaving. But he wanted to see her up close. Why? Because she looked so cute when she was asleep. Tails was always a sucker for the way her face looked when she was out of it. It was just to die for.

As he got closer, he failed to remember that the motor in his wheelchair made a bit of noise when functioning. Cream's eyelids began to flutter a bit and whimpers were heard from her mouth. Tails froze himself and the chair upon hearing it. But then Cream's eyes opened and he was spotted.

"Tails?"

Her voice was so soft it was like the coo of a dove. But despite his crush being sick, Tails smiled at her just happy to see her eyes.

"Hi, Cream. Your mom told me you were sick."

"Yeah. I should have taken an umbrella with me last night. I had no idea it was gonna rain."

That sentence was added with a few coughs at the end of it. Tails then approached her up close.

"Well at least it's just a cold. Right?"

"Yeah. But I'm sorry I couldn't go to your house today, Tails. I really wanted to."

"I know." Tails assured her. "But you just rest up and get better. I'd rather have you here relaxing in bed instead of attending to my needs when you're sick."

With that, Tails turned to leave. But right before he got to the doorway…BING! The light bulb in his head lit up with a great GREAT idea. He turned his chair around and approached Cream yet again with a huge smile on his white fuzzy muzzle.

"How about I take care of YOU today?"

Cream heard it. But she couldn't believe it.

"You take care of me? How? You're in a wheelchair."

"And yet by some magical force, I'll be moving around more than you today." Tails came back.

Cream was silenced right there by the irony of the situation. Tails was in a wheelchair, but Cream was sick. So the fox was right. He was actually more mobile than she was. Which is kinda sad if thought about.

But Cream saw this also as an opportunity. She was at first upset today that she wouldn't see Tails. But then, by some divine force, there he was asking to take care of her just like she had been taking care of him. It was perfect.

"If you want to." Was how Cream answered to not let on that she was in fact overjoyed right now.

Now Tails just had to ask her mom if it was alright. And Vanilla smiled big and said yes. She was so happy Cream had such a loving and caring friend like Tails. But she was oblivious to their crushed for the other. She was a good mom and all. She just had a slight problem with paying close attention to detail. Especially when it comes to other people's feelings.

After access to take care of Cream was granted, Tails' light bulb in his head lit up once more. And then he asked Vanilla if she currently had a certain list of ingredients necessary to make a certain pain remedy. And thankfully she did. Because that meant Tails didn't have to go out in the rain to get any of them.

After a few minutes of mixing up the things in the glass, the black liquid came to be. Satisfied, Tails grabbed the glass and returned to Cream's room. When she saw him enter the room, she smiled. But when she spotted that black glass, her facial expression immediately shifted to one of sheer horror.

She actually pulled the covers of her bed over her head to hide from Tails knowing full well why he had that glass with him.

"You get that glass away from me, Tails!" she tried her best to scream in terror.

But it came out as a hoarse whisper instead.

"Aw come on, Cream." Tails softly said. "Just give it a try."

Cream uncovered herself and stared right into the kitsune's eyes.

"I don't need it! I'm fine! I feel perfect. I…"

Cream's face changed again as her nose began to tickle.

"Ahhhh…..ahhhh….HIIICHEEEW!"

Tails backed away to avoid not getting sprayed on from that little nasal explosion. Cream immediately grabbed a tissue from the box on her nightstand and blew her nose clear of anything that wasn't blown out by that sneeze. Then she opened her eyes to look at Tails who was smirking at her.

"Apparently your nose disagrees with you."

Cream just gave a scowl as she crumpled up the tissue and threw it on the ground with all the others. Then Tails wheeled back up to her with the glass still in hand while Cream got back under the covers. She still refused to take that drink. She said she would rather spend the day coughing and sneezing rather than drink it. But then Tails thought of one more plan.

"I'll tell you what." Tails proposed. "If you drink this, and it doesn't work at all, then I will sit down with you and watch every single episode of that My Little Pony show with you without any whining."

Of course Cream was shocked that Tails would make a bet like that. But then she quickly figured out why he would do that in the first place.

"You've already watched every episode. Haven't you?"

Tails froze up. Dang. Even when she was sick she was sharp.

"I beg of you to not tell Sonic." Tails pleaded. "If any of them find this out, they will strap me down in a chair and literally suck every bit of testosterone out of my body."

Cream didn't know what testosterone even was. But the tone Tails used clearly indicated that he was still in the closet about this. And he was SO not ready to come out with his new liking.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Cream was so sweet. "But I'll take you up on that deal."

Tails smiled and handed Cream the glass of black fluid. Cream really thought she was gonna die by drinking that stuff. With one gulp of fear, she looked at the muzzle that belonged to Tails. He was smiling as if he knew it was gonna be alright. Which he did since he was already drinking that stuff himself.

The sickly little rabbit slowly put the glass to her lips and began to tilt it upwards. Her mouth was just a teeny bit open to allow the drink in. And as soon as her taste buds felt the elixir make contact, her whole body went into a full state of emergency.

She slammed the glass down on her nightstand making some of the drink splash out of the glass a bit. Her head lurched forward as if she was about to spit the drink out and throw up at the same time. Her facial expression even confirmed that.

But despite this, Tails was just watching this reaction with a bit of humor. But seeing that Cream was struggling made him step in. He grabbed her shoulders and begged her to swallow it.

And she finally did with one big gulp.

After she did, she reached for her water glass. But unfortunately for her, she grabbed the wrong glass. She accidentally grabbed the pain elixir glass and drank even more of it. This time she drank a huge gulp because she thought she was drinking water. And boy was her reaction a doozy. As soon as she realized what she had done, she panicked and began to sweat like a pig. Because now that horrible taste in her mouth was just multiplied by a hundred times. She was just about to spit it out, but Tails covered her mouth with his gloved hand.

This was actually a good thing. Tails told her the more she drank, the more better she would feel. She didn't trust the drink one bit. But she did trust Tails. And that was enough for her. Hoping she would still live through this, Cream swallowed the rest of it very slowly. And THEN she grabbed the water glass and chugged it down in a heartbeat. It wasn't enough to get rid of the awful taste completely. But that glass was enough to mask it.

Then she waited a few seconds to see if anything happened to her. Right now she felt no different. But Tails did say it would take a few seconds to fully kick in. At first she thought it was just hooey. But then one minute passed by and the effects of the magical disgusting liquid took their role.

Cream's nose cleared right up and she could breathe through it again. Her headache vanished, her eyes weren't so watery, and her appetite came back. Her hair was still a mess, but that was just hygienic.

Tails smiled when he saw Cream do it first. Clearly it signified that it worked on her. And he commended her for having the guts to swallow that much. He had never swallowed that much in one shot.

"Wow. I can't believe that actually worked." Cream remarked.

Tails chuckled.

"Yeah. Blaze not believing in pills really rubbed off."

They two of them giggled at that. And then Tails began to do with Cream what she had done with him for the past few weeks. He brought her food, kept her company, and they even got to use Vanilla's laptop computer to watch every episode of My Little Pony off YouTube. Just like he promised.

Even though they were entertained, The numbness in Tails' legs kept coming back to him. And the faces he tried to hide from Cream showed he wasn't coping very well. But the thing was, Cream thought those faces were ones of bereft. Well, technically they were. But she thought they for Cosmo. But those faces were there because he missed his legs.

After the day was over, the elixir began to wear off. And it was just in time because Cream's eyes grew heavy as the bags returned underneath them. After saying their goodbyes, Tails went back home and it was no longer raining.

As he started on his way home, he looked back at the window he knew belonged to Cream's room. The light was off and it was black inside. There was a bit of dim light because she slept with a night light. He smiled and blew a kiss at the window. And then he continued back to his house where the emptiness awaited him.

He couldn't wait for her to come back.

**XXX**

**Blaze: GEEZ! It's about friggin time you got around to posting. TWO months AK! Two months!**

**Tails: I know you've got some weird stuff goin on in your head, AK. But you need to get all that crap sorted out.**

**Amy: Yeah! AK, what you need is…wait. Where exactly IS AK?**

**Knuckles: I'll give you one guess.**

**(Down in the basement, the smoke raises up)**

**Sonic: Okay, do it again, AK.**

**Me: Alright alright. *AHEM***

**(Trying to do an impression of Peter Cullen)**

**Me: Autobots, transform and rollout!**

**(Me, Sonic, Shadow, and Silver all begin to laugh hysterically)**

**Silver: AHAHAHAHAHA-HAAAAAA! Oh that is spot on!**

**Shadow: Oh yeah? Check this out. I got one. *clears his throat***

**(Does his best, and a surprisingly very VERY good impersonation of Frank Welker's Megatron)**

**Shadow: WAIT! I STILL FUNCTION!**

**(The laughing continues)**

**Sonic: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh robots kick ass!**

**Me: You bet they do! Okay! I gotta go and get some curly fries. And then I'm gonna eat them with a bacon cheeseburger…. .. …. .and curly fries.**


	6. Feelings Quelled

**Me: Hey bitches! Chapter 6 is here and it didn't take me two months this time!**

**Shadow: Good. Now get to work on the next one. RIGHT NOW!**

**Me: Jeez, Shadow! Calm down!**

**Tikal: Come on, baby. It's alright.**

**Me: Yes I have been late and I apologize. But let's get rolling. I'll do the honors this time. I only own the plot of this story while SEGA owns all the characters being used. So enjoy!**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 6: Feelings Quelled**

It was a lot of fun taking care of Cream while she was sick. But after the first day, Tails had one more day of doing it. And then it was right back to where it was before. Cream going to HIS house to take care of him. But as sharp as they were, none of them seemed to notice that both of them had grown more uneasy around each other than normal.

And it was very strange. Cream was easily able to notice Tails was upset about something. Only problem was, she thing she thought he was sad about was totally wrong. She thought Tails was still grieving over Cosmo. But really, Tails was getting hit harder and harder by the fact that he still couldn't walk for another few months. It was hell the first month for him. He dreaded the upcoming ones.

One night, Cream had to go home early because she said her mother had asked her to be home for dinner that night. Tails didn't pay it any mind and let her go. When the rabbit and her loyal chao left the house, Tails turned on his TV to try and get through the rest of the night without being totally bummed. But the show that he decided to watch didn't help much.

About ten minutes into the show, the door knocked a few times before the r person who knocked decided to open the door himself. It was Sonic. And he was there for a late visit.

"Hey little bro. How's it going?" the hedgehog asked.

Tails only waved at him to acknowledge him without taking his sight off the TV screen. Then Sonic followed his friend's movements and saw what he was watching. Then the hedgehog's face turned to one of sheer awkwardness.

"Um…Tails? Why are you watching Glee?" Sonic asked hoping there was a good and valid answer.

"I'm watching the master at work." Tails replied.

He was watching Glee. And there was a character in there who was handicapped. And right now he was in his wheelchair singing his cover of a Billy Idol song.

**On the floor of Tokyo**

**Or down in London town to go**

**With the record selection and the mirror reflection **

**I'm dancing with myself**

Sonic had to sit down to let this info and image process. Why was Tails watching Glee?

"Oh Artie. You magnificent legless person. How do you do it? How do you go about each day knowing that you shall never again be able to use the bottom half of your body?"

And that was it. Sonic decided to stop this before it got too out of hand. He got up, took the remote out of Tails' hands, and turned off the TV.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" the kitsune demanded to know.

"Because you and I gotta talk." Sonic told him. "Plus I love Billy Idol and I'll be DAMNED if I listen to the crappy cover it."

Tails just sighed and prepared for the lecture. A few seconds later, it came.

"I'm starting to sense your letting the no legs policy get to you."

Every time he heard the word "legs", Tails died a little inside. But he knew it wasn't over yet.

"What do you want from me, Sonic?" he begged for answer. "My whole life I've been using my legs and flying with my tails. And now I can't use them. It just feels like my whole world is just…coming down all around me."

"Okay Tails, I'm going to say something to you. And I want you to listen carefully." Sonic said.

"Okay."

SMACK!

Sonic's palm made solid contact with the forehead of his bi-tailed brother.

"YOU…ARE NOT…PARALYZED!"

As Tails rubbed his forehead, his ears began to ring from the totally unnecessary volume Sonic used.

"Dude, your legs are broken. But that doesn't mean you'll never be able to walk again. They just need time to heal. And when they do, you'll be able to do all that stuff you love to do."

"Oh it's easy for you to say, Sonic. You still got your legs and you use them much more than anyone." Tails had an argument. "If you broke your legs like mine, you wouldn't last one day staying still."

"OK. Granted. If I were in that chair unable to move my legs I'd probably go for a bleach bottle." Sonic admitted. "But I'm not in the chair. You are. And kid, you gotta lighten up. Things will get better. I promise you before you know it, these next few months will go by and you'll be able to fly again. I promise you."

He had been hearing that quite a bit from everyone around him. And he was getting tired of it. That made him speak Sonic's next words before the hedgehog did.

"I know. I just gotta tough it out until then. But it's just so dang hard."

"I know you feel like you're trapped right now. But it can't be that bad. What about Cream? I thought you liked having her around."

"Well…I do. I really do." Tails admitted. "I…I LIKE her Sonic."

"Well duh. Dude, everyone knows that except for Cream."

Tails was shocked by this little revelation.

"But…but how did you?"

The blue hedgehog just smiled at his young friend.

"Dude, you and Cream are very young. It's kinda easy to tell you like her when you're not very good at hiding your happy face whenever she's around."

Tails' bright white cheeks began to blush. He's a genius and yet he couldn't figure out when people are looking at him. Oh irony, thou art a heartless bitch.

"So how big a crush are we talking about here?" Sonic went on. "We talkin' typical boy in love with girl crush or…boy falls in love with girl nursing him back to health crush?"

"Isn't it both in this scenario?' Tails asked confused to the question.

"Oh yeah it is." Sonic noticed. "THAT'S big. You really like her don't you?"

"Yeah I do." Tails admitted. "She's super cute, warm, funny, and she makes me happy whenever she's around. I just melt when I hear her stroll through the door every morning."

Sonic felt better now that Tails was opening up to him. Now he could actually help him.

"Dude, you're only eight. How do you even know about these kinds of feelings?" Sonic asked him.

"The internet really helps a lot. But I accidentally stumbled on some sites I'd rather forget existed."

Sonic knew what that mean. Tails found a few inappropriate sites.

"Yeah. You stay away from those for another five years." Sonic told him. "Anyhow, it's really cool that you like her, Tails. Do you think she likes you?"

"I don't think so." Tails answered. "It's pretty normal with me and her. I don't think she likes me in that way. She's only six after all."

"It's never wise to judge someone by their age alone, Tails." Sonic advised him.

"Then how come you won't give Amy a chance?" Tails came back.

That made Sonic think a bit but not a whole lot. True Amy was about two and a half years younger than him. But that had nothing to do with the reason he wouldn't date her. Oh no. The reason he doesn't give her a chance is the fear of being smothered too much and being chained down to a girl.

"We're not talking about me and Amy right now." Sonic changed the subject. "Just try to lighten up and just be normal with Cream. If you ever need to talk more, just come by my house."

With that, Sonic turned to leave and gave Tails back the remote to the TV.

"Look, I'll try to stop by more often, Tails. Avoiding Amy is getting harder than it used to be."

"You know you could always talk to ME about YOUR feelings about Amy, ya know." Tails assured him.

The speedy hedgehog gave a small laugh just like he always did.

"Maybe I will. See ya, Tails."

And then he was gone and Tails was left alone for the rest of the night. He did feel a little bit better after that little chat. So he no longer felt a need to watch Glee. He turned it on and switched it over to a re-run of Two and a Half Men.

"Oh yeah. Sheen's WAY better than Kutcher."

But while Tails and Sonic were having their little talk, there was another one going on at the exact same time. Let us rewind fifteen minutes back to when Cream left Tails' place. She said she was going home, but she was fibbing. She just needed an excuse to leave because she needed to talk to someone. Her best friend.

She made her way over to Amy's place on foot because she can't see very well when flying in the dark. A few minutes later, her and Cheese arrived at the front door of the pink hedgie's place and Cream knocked on the door. After hearing a few footsteps and locks clacking from the other side, the door opened up and Amy was there waiting for them. But she was unprepared for a visit. She was wearing a white T-shirt with a pink heard and flannel pants with slippers.

"Cream? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry to come over unannounced, Amy. But I need to talk to you about something. But I can come back in the morning if you want."

Cream was prepared to turn around and leave but Amy stopped her by a gentle grab on the shoulder.

"No, it's alright, Cream. Come on in. It's cold out."

"Chao!"

"Yes Cheese. You too."

Satisfied, the rabbit and her pet chao entered the home of Amy and they made their way to the living room. Amy offered them some hot chocolate but the two of them politely declined. But that didn't stop the hedgehog from pouring herself a cup.

The cup had steam coming out of the top as Amy made her way over to the chair in her family room. As she took a seat, she sipped her cocoa and then let it rest on the table in front of her. And then she began to speak to her friend.

"So what's going on, Cream? You've never come here in the middle of the night asking to talk to me like this."

Although still very uncomfortable about it, Cream felt as if she needed to talk to someone about it. So she opened up her mouth and explained her feelings and situation to Amy. And after hearing Cream's side, questions arose.

"So you think Tails is still grieving over Cosmo? But she….left us months ago. And Tails has never seemed really upset over it."

Amy always felt it was her responsibility as Cream's older sister figure to not make things sound as bad as they seemed. But Cream knew what happened to Cosmo. She was there when it happened. She saw it with her own eyes when one of her best friends got killed in order to save the galaxy.

"I know it's been a while. But you haven't spent every day with him for the past month." Cream reasoned. "I've been noticing him looking more depressed every day. I think he still loves her."

But then Amy saw a single tear go down Cream's face.

"But…I like Tails too. In the same way Cosmo did. If I try to tell Tails, he'll hate me. And how could I ever steal the boy Cosmo once loved herself?"

"Cream, you can't think like that." Amy said a bit sternly. "Look, what's in the past is done now. Cosmo is gone and she's not coming back. Nothing can change that. So the question here is do you think Tails wants to move on with his life, or desperately cling to the past and never get over her?"

The little rabbit hadn't considered that. Maybe she was taking this a little too far. Sure for a while Tails was utterly crushed over the loss of Cosmo, but that was a very long time ago. He had to have moved on by now. But she still wasn't full convinced. The looks in his eyes have had the look of bereft feelings in them. So it was very confusing.

"I don't know, Amy. What should I do?"

Amy prepared to answer.

"Well I think you sh…sho..ha…"

Amy's voice stopped as she felt a tickle in her nose come out of nowhere.

"HATSCHEEW!"

Then she let loose a heavy sneeze and then rubbed her nose.

"Oh no. You didn't catch my cold, did you?" Cream asked worried.

"No way." She said with a huge smile. "I'm not sick at all. And that means someone I know is talking about me."

Cream didn't follow. And Amy could tell by the way the young rabbit was looking at her.

"Listen to this, Cream. When someone you know begins to talk about you, you sneeze. It's uncanny. My Sonikku is talking about me!" She declared happily.

"Or you could just have allergies or something." Cream assumed.

"No way. I'm allergic to nothing and believe me. I've checked." Everyone knew not to doubt Amy in things like this. "Sonic's talking about me. I've lost count on the boxes of tissues I've gone through because of his hidden love for me!"

Cream rolled her eyes. But she turned her head away so the pink hedgehog would see it.

"_Or maybe it's something else that's hidden."_

"Either way…bless you." Cream finally said it remembering her manners.

"Thanks." Amy said back.

But then they picked up where they had left off a moment ago.

"But what should I do, Amy?"

"Just let your feelings lay low for a while and be his friend. That's what he really needs right now. You as a friend who cares for him enough to be there for him in this tough time. The guy lost his legs and he's not getting them back for a while. I don't think love is what he's most concerned with right now."

Amy was both right and wrong in that sentence she spoke. But she was unaware of it. But Cream heard her voice clearly. Tails needs a friend right now. Not a girlfriend to make his life even more complicated than it already it. Understanding, she decided to go home and call it a night.

The next months were gonna be long and Cream was gonna try as hard as she could to keep her feelings at bay. But the question was this. Will she be able to hold out for that long, or cave in?

**XXX**

**Okay. Let me just say this. I know a lot of you guys really like this story and all, but please…in your reviews…stop pushing me to update. I have a whole lot more going on over here like a job and a life. The updates for this story and all of my stories will come a lot less often. But I'm not leaving. I'm just asking politely for you guys to get off my back. I'll update when I update and that's all there is to it.**

**Tails: But could you at least TRY to find some more time for us?**

**Me: I'll try. But for now, I….wait a minute. Where are all the girls?...and where's my stash?**

**(Down in the smoky basement)**

**Amy: Whoa…so THIS is what it feels like. Trippy.**

**Rouge: Hey I have a question. How come we always wear gloves? I mean…are our hands ugly or something?**

**(Blaze takes off her gloves and looks at her purple hands)**

**Blaze: Our hands are fine, man. SEGA just wanted to model us after those crappy Disney characters for kid appeal. Stupid bastards!**

**Tikal: Screw our hands! What about our feet?**

**(Tikal takes off her shoes making herself barefoot)**

**Tikal: We have no toes man! Am I deformed! Am I a mutant? Oh dear GOD! Is Shadow gonna dump me for being a toeless freak?**

**Blaze: Okay someone take Tikal upstairs and get her some coffee. She's freakin' out.**

**(Back to my room)**

**Knuckles: Well I guess you gotta go get more, AK.**

**Me: Eh, it's no big deal. I got a prescription.**

**Until next time, peace bitches.**


	7. The Favor

**Me: Hey bitches! Motherf***er! I'm late with this one!**

**Cream: You really need to get your mind straight, Mr. AK.**

**Me: Gee, Cream. Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Why don't you give me a weather report now?**

**(Amy bops me in the head with her hammer)**

**Me: OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?**

**Amy: Be nice to Cream!**

**Me: Okay okay I'm sorry!**

**Blaze: Say sorry to Cream.**

**Me: Ugh fine. Cream, I'm sorry.**

**Cream: It's okay, Mr. AK.**

**Me: But I swear I have a good reason for this time. Not only is work on me right now but I'm also moving into a new place and things are hectic. But as soon as everything settles down which it will soon I'll be back to the way I used to be. I miss that part of myself.**

**But anywho, I have just moved in to my apartment. Roomy. And best part is, I'm the only one here.**

**Shadow: Wait a minute. You mean only you live here and nobody else?**

**Me: Um….yeah.**

**Sonic: You idiot! Then why the heck are we not lighting up! Now we don't have to wait till the end of the chapter!**

**Knuckles: He does have a point.**

**Me: That he does my dear echidna. So with that, we are off to….well there's no more basement so….to the living room!**

**Silver: Sweet! No more discretion!**

**Me: I only own the plot of this story. Sonic the Hedgehog and everyone else are property of SEGA. Enjoy everyone and don't forget to review!**

**The Flightless Fox**

**Chapter 7: The Favor**

It had been three months now since the casts were put on the fox and he was bound to the chair. Tails had two more to go and then he could finally stand up again. Sure it would take some time before full use of his legs would return to him even after he was free from the chair, but his feet longed to touch the ground again. And his tails were starting to grow itchy due to their months without being used for flight.

Nonetheless, Tails knew his legs were healing. But as the days went on, so did his secret depression about being trapped. He was growing worse and worse. Cream still came by but she had noticed he had grown silent. In the beginning, they used to chat all the time, take walks outside, go to movies, and other things. Now it had turned into something like a prison. They hardly ever went out of the house, and their communication had drastically dropped. But that didn't stop Cream from harboring her crush for him. And his growing silence only made her believe even more that Tails was not over Cosmo and in a great state of misery over her death. Amy's talk did nothing at all to make her feel different.

One day, Tails had awoken early before the sun rose due to a bad dream. Or something he considered to be bad. It was another dream about ponies. He shot up from his sleeping position with a small yelp and heavy breathing. Then he looked down in his lap and saw his laptop computer there wide open. The screen was black due to it being in sleep mode. Tails had fallen asleep with it still on. Sighing, he closed it and put it on the ground next to the wheels of his chair.

"I gotta stop watching those dang ponies before I fall asleep." He mumbled. "Come to think of it, I gotta stop watching them altogether."

He smacked his palm to his forehead and let his hand run down his face as he yawned. Knowing the sun wouldn't be up for another few hours, he rested his head back down in his pillow and closed his eyes ready to fall asleep again.

*DING DONG!*

Then that happened exactly one second later.

He jumped up startled again. But this time he was just shocked that his doorbell rang at this time.

"What the….who would be stupid enough to come here in the middle of the night?" Tails asked himself.

After a few seconds, Tails waved it off and laid back down again assuming it was just some punk pulling some late night pranks.

*DING DONG*

Idiot teenage pranksters do not ring twice.

Grunting with extreme unpleasantness, Tails knew whoever was at the door wouldn't go away unless told to. The fox wheeled himself over to the door and opened it.

"Look, I'm not sure if you know what time it is but can you please…"

As soon as he opened up the door and saw who was behind it, Tails froze. Shadow was there and he was unintentionally making Tails tremble just by being there. Without even being invited in, Shadow walked past Tails and into his house.

"Uh….okay. You can come in." Tails nervously said.

With no one else left to enter, Tails shut the door and locked it back up. He then joined Shadow in the living room.

"Shadow, do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked as he stopped his chair from moving.

"Yes I do. It's time for you to honor your agreement." Shadow answered.

That was nowhere near the answer Tails wanted to hear. It also required an explanation due to Tails just wanting to fall asleep. Knowing this just by looking at him, Shadow began to explain.

"Remember a few months ago when I said you would do me a favor no matter what and when?"

Tails did remember that. A few months ago when Cream and Tails were at the mall, Shadow had done Tails a favor by pitching in a few bucks for an easy to install motor that went to the kitsune's wheelchair.

"Yeah I recall." Tails answered.

"The time for you to repay that debt has come." Shadow went on to explain. "Tikal has recently come by two tickets to an event I have no interest in being a part of. Against my better judgment I agreed to go with her. But seeing as how I loathe this event, I immediately began to work up a way out as soon as I said yes. And my plan is in motion even as we speak."

The dark hedgehog wasn't being very clear. But Tails knew Shadow would clarify in time.

"I snuck out of the house and left a note on my side of the bed saying I had gotten called away for a secret GUN spy mission to Soleanna. That way she'll have to find someone else to go with her. Hence your role in this plan."

"Okay. So what does any of this have to do with me? If you can't go I'm sure she'll find someone else to ask. Like Amy or Blaze." Tails told him.

"No she won't." Shadow corrected. "In the note I may have mentioned that you had already agreed to accompany her."

Tails cursed Shadow for being so good at making things airtight.

"Why would you do that? Shadow I have plans with Cream today. She comes here every day and we hang out." Tails tried to get out of it.

"Well too bad." Shadow didn't give a care in the world. "Actually, you're in luck. Tikal doesn't have two tickets. She has three. Originally she was gonna go with another one of her friends from out of town but she got called to the hospital because of family issues. So your little girlfriend can go with you."

Tails was about to say Cream wasn't his girlfriend. But then he took a minute to let it soak in. Shadow thought Tails and Cream were actually a couple. That made him feel….kinda good.

Quickly though, the kitsune brought himself back to reality. Although he wanted nothing more than to be with Cream and to walk at the same time, he wasn't quite sure about what Shadow was asking of him.

"Do I have the option of declining this favor in exchange for another one later on?" He asked.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you want to stay in that chair for the remaining two months, or the rest of your life."

That trembling feeling returned to Tails again. The way Shadow talks to people are never pleasant conversations. That only happens with his orange echidna girlfriend.

"….okay I'll do it." He squeaked. "But can I at least ask what this event you loathe even IS?"

Now Tails wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he heard Shadow give off a small laugh after hearing that question. The dark hedgehog stood up and began to walk towards the door.

That didn't satisfy Tails. He wanted an answer. As the dark hedgehog put his hand on the doorknob, the handicapped fox rolled up to him."

"Wait a sec, Shadow. You tell me right now. This "event" you keep mentioning. What exactly is it and why do you hate it?"

Shadow now gave an audible laugh as he turned his head to look at Tails.

"You'll find out soon enough, fox boy." He put it plain and simple. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and find an activity to do for the next twenty-four hours."

And with that, Shadow exited Tails house. As soon as he did, Tails closed the door and locked it quickly. Taking a deep breath, he rolled back into the living room and got himself back into the position he slept in.

"OK. New checklist of things I need to do before bed. No watching ponies, and get a security system for every door in my house."

Ten minutes later, Tails was once again sound asleep. But it was not going to last as long this time. Once the sun shone through his window, his eyes opened back up and this time he was ready for the day to begin. Mostly anyways.

Even when Cream and Cheese got there, he was happy to see them sure. But he couldn't get his mind off of what Shadow wanted him to do with Tikal today. What was it gonna be? Clothes shopping at the mall? No. You don't need tickets for that. Going to see a horrible chick movie that has the same premise? That could be it. And Tails feared it. To him, all chick movies are all the same. Some girl goes to some house and near the end she turns back and realizes love was there all along. Boom. Happy ending and the female occupants cry their eyes out. Tails would cry too. But only out of misery and boredom.

"Tails? Is something bothering you?"

Cream's voice snapped him out of his thoughts for the moment. Cheese landed on his lap and the fix patted its head.

"Yeah Cream. I'm fine." He assured her. "Just…Shadow came by in the middle of the night last night."

He decided to tell her. It wouldn't make any difference if he lied to her. She was gonna find out eventually what was going on when Tikal got there. And he didn't like lying to Cream anyway.

As soon as he mentioned it, Cream became immediately worried for her friend's safety.

"What? What did he want? What did he do to you?" she asked with her voice full of concern.

"Calm down, Cream. He didn't do anything to me." He said to her. "At least not yet. You remember a few months ago when he paid for this motor in my chair?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well….before I left the store, he grabbed me and said I owed him a favor. Last night he called me on said favor."

"Okay. What's the favor?"

"That's the thing. I have no clue. He just got up and left without even telling me what it is. But it does involve Tikal having tickets for something."

Cream then began to think herself what the mystery favor could possibly be.

"Maybe Miss Tikal wants to go somewhere for a trip." Cream suggested.

Tails chuckled. She was so naïve.

"No. If this was for a vacation, Shadow wouldn't have bailed on it. But you're thinking. Keep going."

Tickets. What else involved tickets that Shadow could possibly hate?

"Maybe she has some tickets left over from some arcade and wants to cash them in for some prize she's been saving up for."

That was partially the geeky side of Tails speaking right there.

"But Miss Tikal doesn't even know what an arcade is. Remember? She can barely work a TV remote."

That made them 0 for 2. They didn't stop however.

"What about some a sports game?" Cream suggested.

"As far as I know, Tikal has a hard time keeping up with sports. She tried to watch baseball once, before even was halfway through, she and Shadow left making. I was there."

0 for 3.

Three times was not the charm for these two. So they gave up and decided to wait for Tikal to come so she could explain it herself.

A few more hours went by and there just so happened to be a marathon of another show called Dan Vs. It was another cartoon show both of them seemed to enjoy. Although there were some parts where Cream didn't like Dan's behavior on the show.

A knock came to the door in the middle of a commercial break. Cream opened the door and smiled to see the face of her orange echidna friend, Tikal.

"Hi Miss Tikal!" The rabbit warmly hugged her.

"It's nice to see you too, Cream." Tikal hugged her back.

"Chao! Chao! Chao!"

"And of course my favorite chao in the whole world. Hello, Cheese."

Inside, Tikal didn't have a favorite Chao. She loved them all the same. But she knew Cheese liked being called stuff like that so she just went with it.

"And hello to you as well Tails." Tikal greeted him as she caught view of him. "How are you feeling today?"

"There are good days and bad days, Tikal. Today's a good day. Thanks for asking."

It was no secret as to why everyone liked her better than the hedgehog she was crazy enough to date.

"So are you ready to go?" she asked referring to the event Shadow didn't speak of.

"Uh….yeah. As ready as I'll ever be."

"Great! Then let's go!"

Tikal took hold of the handles on Tails' chair and pushed him out into the outside. Once out there, he, Cream, and Cheese saw Tikal had a GUN limo that would be taking them where they were going.

"Shadow was nice enough to rent me a limo. Isn't he just the greatest ever?" Tikal squeed.

"_Oh he's the greatest of something alright."_ Tails rolled his eyes as Tikal rolled him up the ramp to the car.

A few minutes later, they had gotten closer to the Station Square Stadium. It was an indoor stadium that housed basketball games and hockey games among other things. But when Tails looked up at the announcement sign in the front of the parking lot. He saw what was going on tonight. It also explained why the majority of people going to this event are girls. It made him tremble in fear and immediately hate Shadow's guts.

"_Okay. I was wrong. Today is a bad day. A VERY bad day."_

Tails had no control. He couldn't use his legs to run or his namesakes to fly. He had no choice but to endure the event. It lasted five and a half straight hours. By the time it ended Cream had to go home with Cheese.

When Tails, Tikal, and Cream exited the arena, they stopped by the gift shop to pick up a few souvenirs. Unfortunately for Tails, the girls were feeling generous and thought Tails needed something to remember this by too.

Had he not been in the presence of the girl he's in love with and the girl who happens to be the girlfriend of a gun toting maniac, he would have argued. But making any one of them unhappy or upset could result in disastrous consequences. That's at least what he thought. So he caved and the girls showed their teeth with big smiles.

On their way out, Tails kept a grumpy look on his face and groaned every time he looked down at the shirt Tikal bought him that was now on his body. It was a hot pink tee that read in big black letters,

"CELINE DION IN STATION SQUARE."

Yes. Apparently the favor Shadow dumped on Tails was making him sit through an entire Celine Dion concert. But that was not a favor. That was torture to Tails. Five and a half straight hours of something metaphorically bashing him in the skull over and over again.

On the ride home, Tails thought of ways to make himself feel better. But he came up with nothing. After saying good night to Cream and Cheese, it was only a short drive from there to his house.

His eyes looked up to the sky.

"_Okay. You may have taken away my legs for a few months. But at least let me keep whatever bit of testosterone I have left."_

Looking back down the road, another thought entered his mind and a smirk stretched across his muzzle.

"_Well Shadow, what goes around comes around."_

A few minutes later, when Tikal was at Tail's door with him, he opened the door.

"Thank you so much for coming with me, Tails. It wouldn't have been fun if I was alone." Tikal gratefully said.

Tails smiled as he put his retaliation into play. It was the most simple and great plan he ever had.

Rat on Shadow.

"Oh it's no trouble at all Tikal. I really didn't have a choice but to go after your boyfriend threatened me."

"Oh well that's…wait what?" Tikal caught what he said.

"Oh yeah. Funny story. He he. True story even. That note you found when you woke up, it was all a lie. Shadow's not on a mission. He just said he was so he wouldn't have to go with you to that concert. He's probably out right now at some club watching girls take their clothes off."

That part probably wasn't true. But Tails wanted Shadow to suffer as much as possible. And judging by the look on Tikal's growing angrier by the second, it was working.

"Yeah. And he said if I didn't agree to go with you, he'd break my legs even more."

"Did he now?" Tikal hissed. "Well then…I guess I'll just have to go home and wait for him now. Won't I?"

"Yeah. You go and do that. Good night, Tikal."

"Good. Night. Tails."

Tikal walked away as calmly as she could. Tails had never seen her like that before. That was a good thing. For the first time ever, Shadow was going home to an angry girlfriend. And Tails went home to…..nothing.

As funny as it was knowing Shadow was gonna get what he deserved tonight, seeing his house void of life other than himself made him feel down. Controlling his chair with one hand, he used his other hand to take off the concert tee and toss it aside, probably never to be worn again. His mind wandered back to Cream. Since there was no longer anyone around, he decided to think out loud.

"I want to tell her how I feel, but I keep getting the fact that she wants to stay away from me. Every time I've tried to suggest doing something as close friends, she hesitates. Why?"

He had been asking himself that for a long time now.

Then right there, he came up with an idea.

"I'll tell her. Tomorrow. I'll tell her how I truly feel. Then she's bound to come clean."

That was his plan. Granted it probably wasn't the best of all thought out plans in the universe but it was bound to produce results.

He only prayed that Cream would tell him how she felt too.

**XXX**

**Me:….oh man. I was like…..way late with this one, man.**

**Silver: Yeah. I had a good laugh watching you and your dad get all the heavy stuff up those stairs. Shadow and I had bets going on whether you would fall or not.**

**(Shadow throws an empty Cherry Coke can at my head)**

**Shadow: Dammit, AK! Why couldn't have just fallen once? You would have won me a hundred bucks.**

**Sonic: Dude…..this is…..this is our cone, man. We don't yell in the cone.**

**Amy: He's right. Only tongue kissing in the cone. Sonic, tongue me.**

**Sonic: Yes flower girl.**

**(Sonic and Amy proceed to stick their tongues down each other's throats in front of everyone. Nobody cares.)**

**Me: Well….until next chapter….peace out bitches.**


End file.
